A Selective Study of the Writings of Kafka, Kubin, Meyrink, Musil and Schnitzler
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_________________________________________________________________________Swansea University E-Theses The literary dream in German Central Europe, 1900-1925: A selective study of the writings of Kafka, Kubin, Meyrink, Musil and Schnitzler. Vrba, Marya How to cite: _________________________________________________________________________ Vrba, Marya (2011) The literary dream in German Central Europe, 1900-1925: A selective study of the writings of Kafka, Kubin, Meyrink, Musil and Schnitzler.. thesis, Swansea University. http://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42396 Use policy: _________________________________________________________________________ This item is brought to you by Swansea University. Any person downloading material is agreeing to abide by the terms of the repository licence: copies of full text items may be used or reproduced in any format or medium, without prior permission for personal research or study, educational or non-commercial purposes only. 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Please link to the metadata record in the Swansea University repository, Cronfa (link given in the citation reference above.) http://www.swansea.ac.uk/library/researchsupport/ris-support/ The Literary Dream in German Central Europe, 1900-1925 A Selective Study of the Writings of Kafka, Kubin, Meyrink, Musil and Schnitzler Mary a Vrba Thesis submitted to Swansea University in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Modern Languages Swansea University 2011 ProQuest Number: 10798104 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10798104 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 LIBRARY 1 Abstract The Literary Dream in German Central Europe, 1900-1925: A Selective Study of the Writings of Kafka, Kubin, Meyrink, Musil and Schnitzler Marya Vrba This thesis examines the literary dream in selected works by Kafka, Kubin, Meyrink, Musil and Schnitzler, with a particular focus on the redefinition of subjectivity through dreamlife. The introductory chapter contextualises these case studies in the broader field of oneirocriticism, emphasising the dream’s ancient role as fictional template and its specific significance in the destabilised environment of German Central Europe during the early twentieth century. Alfred Kubin’sDie andere Seite (1909), which uses the ‘other side’ as metaphor for both oneiric and artistic experience, reveals the inherent dualism of the literary dream and its close relationship with creativity. In Robert Musil’sDie Verwirrungen des Zdglings Torlefi (1906), the protagonist serves as the model for a new type of self-determining subject who draws on the knowledge of dreams and irrationality. Franz Kafka’s texts reveal techniques for integrating the dream into fictional worlds that are already dreamlike through the prevalence of (literalised) metaphor and free association. Gustav Meyrink, in Der Golem (1915), shares Kafka’s interest in concretised metaphor, but also explores the dream’s associations with occult practices, used as a defence against the threatening claims of science. Finally, Arthur Schnitzler’s literary dreams offer a direct confrontation with psychoanalysis and a dismantling of nineteenth- century ideals of gender and bourgeois love. Overall, it is argued that the literary dreams by these authors hold varied responses to fragmentation of theIch in the face of psychological ‘vivisection’, theories of relativity, and the collapse of old social orders. The dream, as a nightly ‘psychosis’, crystallised the pervasive fears of self loss during this period; however, in its perennial role as micro-narrative, it also provided a site for re-construction of the subject. The incorporation of dreams in fictional lives served as a metonymical guide for the integration of un- and subconscious experience overall. 2 Declarations and Statements Declaration This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. ^Signature of candidate) ....C>C^..SV.Z 9.(!................ (Date) Statement 1 This thesis is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended. (Signature of candidate) .............. (Date) Statement 2 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. (Signature of candidate) .<?£«&... U........... (Date) 3 Table of Contents Abstract 1 Declarations and Statements 2 Table of Contents 3 Acknowledgements 4 Abbreviations 5 Chapter 1: Introduction:Deutung, Dichtung, Dilemma’. 6 Dreams from Babylon to Vienna Chapter 2: The Realm of Dreams in Alfred Kubin’sDie andere Seite 52 Chapter 3: Seeing with the ‘Other Eyes’: Dream States in Robert Musil’s 97 Die Verwirrungen des Zoglings Torlefi Chapter 4: ‘Schreckliche Wahrheiten’: 135 Dreams in the Writings of Franz Kafka Chapter 5: Traumstoff. Dream as Material and Medium 169 in Gustav Meyrink’s Der Golem Chapter 6: The Powerful Mirror of Dream 205 in Three Novellas by Arthur Schnitzler Conclusions 241 Bibliography 246 4 Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the generous financial support of Swansea University, for which I remain extremely grateful. I could never offer enough thanks to my extraordinary supervisors, Duncan Large and Julian Preece, who combine impressive knowledge with a sense of kindness and patience. Their guidance has made this project into a pleasure and a process of discovery. My gratitude also goes to Kat Hall, for her supportive presence during the final stages of this thesis, and to the entire German Studies staff at Swansea University, who have never ceased to inspire me with their enthusiasm and dedication. I am indebted to my family, who exemplify the virtues of determination and curiosity. Thanks are due to my sister, Sarah, for sharing with me the woes and delights of academic life, and for her keen intellectual insights. My deep appreciation goes to our parents for investing in our education and encouraging our ambitions. Finally, I would like to dedicate this thesis to Jeremie Pichereau, for his unfailing love and devotion, which have made all the difference. 5 Abbreviations BeK ‘Beschreibung eines Kampfes’, by Franz Kafka, in Kritische Ausgabe der Werke von Franz Kafka, ed. Gerhard Neumannet al. (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1982-), Nachgelassene Schriften und Fragmente I, ed. Malcolm Pasley (1993), pp. 54-171. Casanova Casanovas Heimfahrt, by Arthur Schnitzler, inGesammelte Werke, ed. Reinhard Urbach and Robert O. Weiss (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1961), vol. 2: Die Erzahlenden Schriften, pp. 231-323. DaS Die andere Seite: Ein phantastischer Roman mit 52 Abbildungen und einem Plan, by Alfred Kubin (Munich: Spangenberg, 1990). DG Der Golem, by Gustav Meyrink (Furth im Wald; Prague: Vitalis, 2008). DS Das Schlofi, by Franz Kafka, ed. Malcolm Pasley (1983), in Gerhard Neumannet al. (eds), Kritische Ausgabe der Werke von Franz Kafka (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1982-). Else Fraulein Else, by Arthur Schnitzler, in Gesammelte Werke, ed. Reinhard Urbach and Robert O. Weiss (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1961), vol. 2: Die Erzahlenden Schriften, pp. 324-80. TB-Kafka Tagebucher, by Franz Kafka, ed. Hans-Gerd Koch, Michael Muller and Malcolm Pasley (1990), inKritische Ausgabe der Werke von Franz Kafka, ed. Gerhard Neumann, Jost Schillemeit, Malcolm Pasley, Gerhard Kurz (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1982-). TB-Musil Tagebucher, by Robert Musil, ed. Adolf Frise (Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1976). TB-Schnitzler Tagebuch: 1879-1931, by Arthur Schnitzler, ed. Werner Welziget al (Vienna: Verlag der Osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1981-2000). TD Die Traumdeutung, by Sigmund Freud, inGesammelte Werke chronologisch geordnet, ed. Anna Freud (Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1940-1952), vol. 2/3: Die Traumdeutung; Uber den Traum (1942), pp. 1-642. Torlefi Die Verwirrungen des Zoglings Torlefi, by Robert Musil, in Gesammelte Werke, ed. Adolf Frise (Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1978), vol. 2: Prosa und Stilcke: Kleine Prosa, Aphorismen, Autobiographisches, Essays und Reden, Kritik (1978), pp. 7-140. Chapter 1 Introduction: Deutung, Dichtung, Dilemma: Dreams from Babylon to Vienna This thesis explores how German-language writers of Central Europe used the literary dream to redefine subjectivity and develop new fictional techniques during the first quarter of the twentieth century. For Alfred Kubin, Robert Musil,